ONE WOMAN’S TAKE ON DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS
CITY HALL Maybe it was the location, or maybe it was the discussion about banning non-biodegradable containers, but the Board of Education meeting on Thursday momentarily felt, at times, like a City Council meeting.
Still, the adjournment time — 9:32 p.m. — definitely didn’t contribute to the “City Council” feel.
In its first meeting of 2007, the school board decided to gather in City Council Chambers. In the interests of being fair to both Santa Monica and Malibu parents, the board rotates meeting locations between Malibu City Hall, Santa Monica City Hall and District Headquarters. The board usually meets every two weeks.
Sitting on the dais, the school board welcomed a special guest in attendance — Council meeting regular Brian Hutchings.
His points covered everything from Harry Potter to No Child Left Behind. There is nothing worse than a Rhodes Scholar, said Hutchings, adding that Harry Potter, Osama bin Laden, Vice President Dick Cheney and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld should all be sent to Darfur for a fact-finding mission.
The school board members just stared, getting a hard taste of a typical City Council meeting.
“I don’t think Martin Luther King Jr. would be in favor of No Child Left Behind,” Hutchings said.
Other than the color Hutchings provided, the meeting on Thursday was pretty mild in substance. The one item that was expected to spark a lot of discussion — findings and recommendations on the AB1200, a plan outlining how a collective bargaining agreement would impact district finances — was tabled to a later time because some unexpected information came to light recently that made district officials feel they weren’t ready to bring the matter back to the board.
While preparing to post the AB1200, the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team discovered that the board authorized a FROM NOTEBOOK PAGE 3 motion to freeze $3 million in 2005. The district cannot post the AB1200 until more information is uncovered about what caused the board to freeze the $3 million, said Superintendent Dianne Talarico.
The school board cannot engage in conversation related to the posting of the AB1200 until 10 days after the posting date.
The school board and Santa Monica- Malibu Classroom Teachers Association reached a tentative agreement this past October for a 5 percent pay raise. The initial AB1200, submitted to the LA County Office of Education in October, showed that the district could face financial troubles down the road if it approves the raise.
Making this process even more difficult is the absence of a chief financial officer [CFO], after Winston Braham abruptly resigned from the district in November. The district has since signed an agreement with School Services of California to help find a permanent CFO, according to Talarico. “[Deputy Superintendent] Tim [Walker] and I are aggressively having conversations and we’re hoping one will join in the interim capacity as soon as possible, because it’s been a while now and it’s starting to take its toll,” Talarico said.
The goal is to hire a permanent CFO in May and for that person to begin July 1.
KICK THE EXPANDED POLYSTYRENE HABIT It gives adults a warm fuzzy feeling knowing they’re doing something right, when a young student speaks out passionately against plastic foam, a non-biodegradable material on which breakfast and lunches are served.
In all schools in the district, lunch and breakfast are served on these plates. It takes 500 to 1,000 years to break down this substance in a landfill, said Rachel Horn, a junior at Samohi, who said she’s been concerned about the environment due to pollution. Most of these plates, however, end up on the beaches, she said, citing a finding by Heal the Bay.
Approximately 4,000 lunches are served on these plastic foam trays every day in the district.
The student definitely did her research in preparation for her presentation to the school board and appearance on CityTV. A non-profit organization called World Centric offers a product that can break down in about 30 days, she said.
“There is no measure of debt that Styrofoam is getting us into,” she said, holding up an example of the tray used in school.
By the way, it’s expanded polystyrene [EPS], not Styrofoam, which is a trademarked name, Walker said.
All city facilities, including public schools, will also fall under a city ordinance passed earlier this month that bans all EPS containers in businesses. Unlike businesses, which have until Jan. 1, 2008 to comply, schools must be rid of their EPS supplies by Feb. 8.
KUDOS TO THE BOARD For all their hard work and dedication, the district recognized the Board of Education. Patting the members on their backs, Talarico read proclamations by Santa Monica Mayor Richard Bloom and Malibu Mayor Ken Kearsley, neither of whom were in attendance.
In addition to being National Mentoring Month and National Oatmeal Month, January is also School Board Recognition Month.
The members’ tenure on the board varies from as little as two months — Kelly Pye and Barry Snell. who were elected in November — to six years — Jose Escarce and Maria Leon-Vazquez.
The recognitions and commendations didn’t stop there. John Adams Middle School, and essentially new Principal Martha Shaw, were honored for the positive changes made at the school in the past year. The commendations also give school board members the opportunity to echo the same feelings already vocalized.
The next school board meeting is scheduled for next month, but an exact date has yet to be posted. Stay tuned.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 20, 2007. Read the original PDF.